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I know, I know. What does that mean? Isn’t social media all about networking by its very nature? Well yes. Unless it’s not used that way.I’ve watched with fascination over the past three years as the real estate and mortgage industry, known for many things, but not necessarily for cutting edge risk taking, has slowly embraced the usage of social media. As I’ve mentioned many times before, used properly, the best social media tactics are basically those which have been used by the smallest mom-and-pop agencies face-to-face for decades. The principles are simply those of networking. Hard pitches are not the starting point to a conversation. To get something, one has to give. And so on.
However, I’m beginning to see a flip side to this. There is another element to be aware of. While social media is, to an extent, an efficient extension of good ole-fashioned referral marketing or networking, it does lack one very important ingredient: the face-to-face contact. I’m seeing that some folks out there are beginning to use it as a crutch of sorts to actually avoid traditional networking.
Social media is not, and will never be, a replacement for real networking. It will not keep you off of airplanes. It will not allow you to throw out all of your suits. It will not replace the occasional sales dinner or conference. It will supplement them, and allow you to maximize those opportunities (although it may or may not help you with your suits, I suppose).
With that in mind, there are a few things to bear in mind if you have gone all-in on the social media thing.
Don’t send introduction requests on Linked In or Facebook to people you’ve never spoken to or don’t know.
You don’t (or at least shouldn’t) call people from the attendee list at a conference after the show if you haven’t at least talked to them, have you? It’s awkward, and it sets the person being contacted on the defensive, in the way of “what do you want from me?” Get an introduction. Address the person in the forum discussion (compliment on a comment, ask a question) where appropriate. But don’t just send a connection request with a generic note attached. There’s networking…and then there’s stalking.
There’s such a thing as TMI…especially on Twitter. Yes, you need to Tweet consistently to be relevant on Twitter. Yes, a little personality goes a long way. But if you are using Twitter or Facebook for any kind of business purpose, take a second look at each Tweet or status change and ask yourself if you’d e-mail that to a distant prospect. If you have to think twice, better come up with something else that’s clever.
Try not to make your first contact with a new connection or follower a request or a pitch. Unless you’ve known that person for awhile, this is probably akin to asking for a raise on your first day on the job.
If you’re going to be on a social network, BE THERE. I understand why some people only announce themselves as “Joe X” or “Executive at ABC Corp.” on Linked In. But it’s not effective. This announces to potential contacts that you are only there to extract information, and are unwilling to provide in return. May be true. May not. But there’s no body language when you’re working in social media. When you network in person, you are physically present. It’s sort of a requirement. Similarly, you need to be there to make social media work. If your profile says nothing about you, don’t expect to be accepted into many groups or make too many new contacts.
If you’re debating whether a situation calls for a phone call or a trip to see them, but would rather just “connect” via social media, then get on the plane.
Social media is an easy way to stay top-of-mind, share information and stay in touch. But if you are dealing with an important vendor, customer or partner, nothing carries the weight of showing your face.
I’m sure there are more that I’ve forgotten. I’d love to hear examples of social media as a crutch from you as well!